Little Falls transcript., 1887-05-20

passed and the coming day. Whether
he, will ever sit there again? the good
dear father! The woman sat with,
bent head; the moon shone upon her
pale, careworn face.
Suddenly she lookedu What was
it? A noise in the street gentle.
light step; for one second she could
hear it, and then all was quiet again.
Was somebody stealing around the
house? Was an enemy near? The
woman jumped up and listened; cold
draught passed over her; it came from
the chamber. Was the window open
there? she had cl osed it herself f--she
knew that for certain. Had some
body opened or forced it inland
| who?- -
With loudly beating heart she went
into the: chamber. Yes, the window
was wide open and the cool night air
streamed in. Nobody had come into
the room, she saw that in the clear
moonshine;-but outside? She listen
| ed far out into the street. But every
thing was silentas the grave and moth
ing was to be seen but the black shad.
| ows of the trees and houses.
One moment she stood motionless,
then an anxious thought came into
her mind; she turned and looked back
into the chamber "Max!" she called,
and bent over his bed wringing her
hands, for the bed was empty.
Meanwhile Max ran past the last
houses OF the village, and his shadow
ran beside him. Max had no hat on
his head, no shoes on his feet. In his
left hand he held his fathers canteen
and the piece Of black bread his moth
| er had given him in the evening, and
in his right hand he held y large knife.
The trees and bushes whispered gently
as he passed, the crosses and monu-
ments over in the cemetery shone
ghostly in the moonlight, and dark
shadows looked forth behind everv
stone and fence post. Max did not
look to the right nor left, but strode
straight on. What should he be afraid
OF? The stones and fence posts he
knew we'll enough, he had seen them
many times day,-and the crosses
over there too. And that they threw
now such mysterious shadows-this
was caused by the hemoon-and he knew
the moon, too!
But farther on, over the next hill
near che edge OF the forest-the boys
heart trembled, his fist grasped the
knife more firmly, he hastened his
steps, his cheeks and eyes glowed, his
hair flew in the night wind.
Max neared the battlefield. A pc
culiar ,rrid odor met him. The
smoke vi powder was still in the air.
But round about everything was quiet,
only the forest rustled gently. Max
drew deep breath and walked slow.
He wanted to see everything, examine
everything and to listen. Perhaps
watches had been put out-he did not
want to be caught-he went to find
his father. and who would find him if
not his son?
With wide open eyes he passed the
last hill and came upon the great
meadows beyond. Here, then, was
the battlefield! Yes there lay some
thing on the ground; gun, and near
it the cartridge box, and there-yes,
there lay the man who belonged to
the gun and the cartridge box; or was
it the one near the hazel bush? or the
one next to him?
Max felt his heart beating wildly.
Dead-dead people everywhere, and
there horses, and uprooted turf and
upturned earth. Max ran from one
dark form to another, and bent over
every corpse to see it's pale face. The
boy himself was pale as death. If he
should find his father so! But these
were all soldiers, he recognized them
from afar by the metal buttons which
shone in the moonlight. He had to
think Of the trim men as they rode in
the morning laughing and cursing
through the village; and now they
lay mulilated, covered with blood
and earth, forsaken and forgotten.
Max ran ever faster this way and
that way. From time to time he
stopped and walked across the fed.
II only the trees could speak! they
had seen everything, they knew if he
had gone on with the enemy or wheth-
er he had fallen on the field.
"Dear Lord, grant that find him!'"
cried Max, looking up to the starry
sky. "Father, ara you here? Do you
not hear me? Your Max is here|
father!"
There came an answer; but not the
one Max had prayed for, "a loud mer-
ry neishing from horse which re- echo
ed from the forest. Max almost Drop
ped canteen, bread and knife in his
surprise and fright, but in the next
moment he leaped over the dead and
guns and broken wagons toward where
the neighing came from.
."Bayl" he cried "old Bay!" and
there he stood beside the old horse,
near the upturned cart at the edge of
the forest. "Where is my father?"
cried Max, standing before the faithful
animal and looking anxiously at him,
as If he could got an answer. 'tDon't
you know, Bay?-don't your
But the horse turned his head aside
toward q beech and bent it's head
down into the grass. In the next
moment Max knelt beside the man
who lay there. Poor boy! With
what haste did he feel of his head and
breast, with what trembling hands
did he raise the heavy head on his
knees, how anxiously, with what look
Of love, despair and hope did he gaze
into the silent, unconscious face.
"Father!" cried he, "your Max is
hero! It is Il You hear me; open.
your eyes only little, only that I
might know that you live, that can
tell it to motherl Please, dear, good,
father, open your eyes!
The hot tears streamed down the
cheeks Of the child and fell on the
forehead Of the man; and was it the
tears, or was it the sobbing, beseech.
ing voice which opened the tired,
closed eyesf Who can tell?-but they
did open, and Max hung on his ia,
ther's neck overpowered with Joy.
Child, you here2'' said the father,
with weak voice, after having looked
at him some .fimA in a. hax,ildarad